Muhanad
Al-Hasani, eminent human rights defender and lawyer, chairman of the
Syrian organization for Human Rights – Sawasiah – a leading and most
professional Syrian human rights organization, was arrested on 28 July
2009 for reporting on cases treated before the State Security Court
(SCC).

State
security agents arrested Al-Hasani, head of the Syrian Organization for
Human Rights, on Tuesday and are believed to be holding him at a facility
in Damascus’ al-Hateeb district.

Authorities
have increasingly harassed and intimidated Al-Hasani over the last three
weeks because of his work monitoring the Supreme State Security Court, a
special court established under Syria’s emergency law that handles
politically-sensitive cases. “Freedom House is deeply concerned for the
safety and welfare of Al-Hasani and urges authorities to release him
immediately,” said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director.
“The Syrian government is solely responsible for Al-Hasani’s well-being and
must ensure that security agents do not engage in the kind of torture and
brutality for which they are so well known.”

On 23 July 2009, Muhanad Al-Hasani
received a call from the Public Intelligence Directorate (PID),
“Al-Mukhabrat Al-Amma” in which he was asked to attend a meeting on 26
July with a high level security officer.

Following that meeting, over the next two
days, Muhanad Al-Hasani was repeatedly summoned and attended meetings at
the PID. On the last of these meetings, on 28 July at 7:00 pm, he was
arrested and detained incommunicado

Previously, on the morning of 19 July
2009, Muhanad Al-Hasani was one of many lawyers attending a hearing of
ten defendants before the State Security Court (SSC). At 1:00 pm,
immediately after the end of the hearing, Muhanad Al-Hasani was walking
towards the court cafeteria building when an employee of the SSC
forcefully took his notebook, cut out the papers related to the hearing
and ripped other pages.

Muhanad Al-Hasani immediately reported the
incident to the head of the SSC, in the presence of other members of the
court. The head of the SSC summoned the employee and reprimanded him for
“harassing a lawyer on duty and taking his private papers”. The employee
said that he was acting on orders from the head attorney of the SSC.

The head attorney of the SSC, Habib Najma,
who was present, confirmed giving the order, explaining that Muhanad Al-Hasani
tended to abuse the confidentiality of the SSC. Habib Najma read some of
the notes from the confiscated papers and commented that this information
would soon be disseminated on the internet.

Muhanad Al-Hasani argued that the court
sessions are open and that he was attending as a human rights observer
and had not violated any law or regulations. The head judge of the court
asserted the open nature of the court while the head attorney insisted
that the publication of the materials would abuse the confidentiality of
the SSC and threatened that he would use the notes to prosecute Muhanad Al-Hasani.

The representative of the Ministry of
Justice, who was also present, reprimanded Muhanad Al-Hasani and asked
him not to make an issue of the incident. Muhanad agreed to do that on
the condition that his papers would be returned to him and that he was
not further harassed. However, the notes were not returned.

Since the establishment of the SHRO in
2004, Muhanad Al-Hasani has received threats that he would be judicially
prosecuted and imprisoned for running an unauthorised organisation.
Similar to many other human rights organisations in Syria, the SHRO was
refused permission to register.

PLEASE TAKE
ACTION NOW !

CALL
UPON ALL HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO SPEAK OUT IN DEFENSE OF MUHANAD
AL-HASANI .

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please write to the Syrian authorities and ask them
to:

1, Immediately and unconditionally release
Muhanad Al-Hasani, as I believe that he is being held solely as a
result of his legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human
rights;

2. Carry out an immediate, thorough and
impartial investigation into the arrest and targeting of Muhanad
Alhasani;

3. Ensure that the treatment of Muhanad
Alhasani, while in detention, adheres to all those conditions set
out in the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons
under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment adopted by UN General
Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988, and grant him
immediate access to his lawyer and family;

4. Take all necessary measures to guarantee
the physical and psychological security and integrity of Muhanad
Alhasani;

5. Guarantee in all circumstances that human
rights defenders in Syria are able to carry out their legitimate
human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all
restrictions including arbitrary detention and judicial harassment.

Mr Muhanad Al-Hasani, a human rights lawyer and the president of
the Syrian Human Rights Organisation (SHRO), was arrested on 28 July 2009
for reporting on cases treated before the State Security Court (SCC). I
am highly concerned for the wellbeing of Muhanad Al-Hasani and call for
his immediate release.

On 23 July 2009, Muhanad Al-Hasani received a call from the
Public Intelligence Directorate (PID), “Al-Mukhabrat Al-Amma” in which he
was asked to attend a meeting on 26 July with a high level security
officer.

Following that meeting, in the next two days, Muhanad Al-Hasani
was repeatedly summoned and attended meetings at the PID. At the last of
these meetings, on 28 July at 7:00 pm, he was arrested and detained
incommunicado

Previously, on the morning of 19 July 2009, Muhanad Al-Hasani was
one of many lawyers attending a hearing of ten defendants before the
State Security Court (SSC). At 1:00 pm, immediately after the end of the
hearing, Muhanad Al-Hasani was walking towards the court cafeteria
building when an employee of the SSC forcefully took his notebook, cut
out the papers related to the hearing and ripped other pages.

Muhanad Al-Hasani immediately reported the incident to the head
of the SSC, in the presence of other members of the court. The head of
the SSC summoned the employee and reprimanded him for “harassing a lawyer
on duty and taking his private papers”.

The employee said that he was acting on orders from the head
attorney of the SSC. The head attorney of the SSC, Habib Najma, who was
present, confirmed giving the order, explaining that Muhanad Al-Hasani
tended to abuse the confidentiality of the SSC. Habib Najma read some of
the notes from the confiscated papers and commented that this information
would soon be disseminated on the internet.

Muhanad Al-Hasani argued that the court sessions are open and
that he was attending as a human rights observer and had not violated any
law or regulations. The head judge of the court asserted the open nature
of the court while the head attorney insisted that the publication of the
materials would abuse the confidentiality of the SSC and threatened that
he would use the notes to prosecute Muhanad Al-Hasani.

The representative of the Ministry of Justice, who was also
present, reprimanded Muhanad Al-Hasani and asked him not to make an issue
of the incident. Muhanad agreed to do that on the condition that his
papers would be returned to him and that he was not further harassed.
However, the notes were not returned.

Since the establishment of the SHRO in 2004, Muhanad Al-Hasani
has received threats that he would be judicially prosecuted and
imprisoned for running an unauthorised organisation. Similar to many
other human rights organisations in Syria, the SHRO was refused
permission to register.

I believe that the detention of Muhanad Al-Hasani is directly
connected to his work as a human rights lawyer. I am deeply concerned for
the physical and psychological integrity of Muhanad Al-Hasani.

I call upon the authorities in Syria to:

1, Immediately and unconditionally release Muhanad Al-Hasani, as
I believe that he is being held solely as a result of his legitimate and
peaceful work in the defence of human rights;

2. Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation
into the arrest and targeting of Muhanad Al-Hasani;

3. Ensure that the treatment of Muhanad Al-Hasani, while in
detention, adheres to all those conditions set out in the Body of
Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention
or Imprisonment adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9
December 1988, and grant him immediate access to his lawyer and family;

4. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and
psychological security and integrity of Muhanad Al-Hasani;

5. Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in
Syria are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities
without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including
arbitrary detention and judicial harassment.